Through a Partner's Eyes
by Nightlingbolt
Summary: Lucy realized long ago she didn't care if Natsu never saw her as a lover. Being his partner, that was all she needed. NaLi alphabet challenge through Lucy's eyes. Prompt A: Announcement
1. A is for Announcement

**Figured I'd post this before people started sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner**

 **So remember that alphabet challenge I did for Natza? Well, I'm going to try doing one for NaLi. Here's the kicker: they're all going to be Lucy's perspective on their relationship. Why? Because I'm sick of seeing Lucy get heartbroken and emo when NaLi happens in fanfiction. Seriously, you could fill about a dozen Simple Plan albums with the angst these people manufacture. Isn't it time we portrayed Lucy supporting NaLi, especially if we're going to portray Lisanna supporting NaLu? Seems like a major double-standard if you ask me. Also, the name change isn't official yet, mostly because I'm a lazy ass. Whatever. Here's something for NaLu shippers to piss and moan at me about.**

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.

* * *

It was a cold, late November evening. Lucy had just returned home from a job with Lisanna, which Natsu, surprisingly enough, had arranged. The anniversary of the youngest Strauss's return from Edolas was today, which Lucy was honestly surprised the guild had remembered, and it was apparently her job to distract her. And now that the job was done, she had decided to take a short bath before the party. A shower would be quicker, but the client had been quite overbearing, and she needed to de-stress. **  
**

Having wrapped a towel around her just in case her idiot partner showed up, Lucy proceeded into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, poured the bubbles into the tub...

"Lucy you gotta help me!"

"EEK!

...And that's why she wore the towel.

"Natsu!" yelled Lucy. "I'm trying to bathe here!"

"Then I'll make it fast," said Natsu. "How do you tell a girl you wanna be her boyfriend?"

Lucy gasped. There was no way Natsu would ask something like that straight to her face unless she was the intended girlfriend! She had seen it in way too many novels to count!

 _"Play it cool, Lucy,"_ she told herself. _"Just ask about the girl he likes, tell him to be himself, and tell him you're not ready for a serious relationship. Easy, right? Right!"  
_  
"That depends," Lucy said out loud. "What kind of girl is she?"

"She's smart, she's sweet, she's funny, and she's really pretty," said Natsu. "And she's strong, too, even if she's not really confident in her magic. And she gets along with everyone, and she's very understanding too."

Lucy blushed. She was totally all those things! Or at least, she liked to think so. _"Dammit, Lucy, now he's going to think you return his feelings!"_ she thought angrily.

"If she's as understanding as you say she is, then all you need is to be honest with her," said Lucy kindly. "Do that, and she'll be honest right back."

"...But she'll say yes, right?" asked Natsu.

"It all depends on her," said Lucy. "If she likes you back she will." _"Oh God, now I'm gonna have to break his heart!"_

"Gotcha. Thanks, Lucy!" said Natsu. He reached in for a hug.

Natsu had hugged Lucy before, and she had hugged him too, but this time, it felt... different... to Lucy. They had always found comfort in each other after a long battle, but now she was questioning if it was the romantic sort.

Natsu let go of her, and he made to leave. "See you at the party!" he said. And as quickly as he arrived, he was gone in an instant.

Lucy felt a feeling that shouldn't have ben there - a feeling of disappointment that Natsu hadn't confessed to her right then and there. Figuring there was no sense in worrying about what she couldn't control, she got in the bath, mentally preparing for...

The party!

 _"Oh my God! He's going to confess in front of everybody!"_ Lucy thought with horror.

Any thoughts of stress relief had disappeared in an instant.

* * *

Later that night, Lucy sat alone at the guild, not wanting to deal with Natsu, or anyone else for that matter. The thought of having to hurt her best friend so thoroughly was so heavy that she could barely enjoy the party, or even celebrate what was supposed to be a special day for Lisanna.

 _"And he's going to ruin that special day for her despite her own feelings! That's the worst part!"_ thought Lucy. She hated how thoughtless Natsu could be sometimes! Like when he left for a year just after Tartaros was defeated! She could understand Igneel's death flipping some sort of switch in his mind, making him want to get strong enough to beat Acnologia, but to just leave with only a letter saying he'd be back in a year...!

"Oi, Bunny Girl!" a rough voice called out to her.

"Hm? Oh, hi, Gajeel," said Lucy disinterestedly.

"Levy's making me check on you," the Iron Dragon Slayer explained.

"Levy-chan?" asked Lucy.

Gajeel nodded. "You gave her the cold shoulder earlier, and she got into a conversation with Dumb and Dumber, so she sent me," he explained.

"It's kind of personal," said Lucy.

"You absolutely sure about that?" asked Gajeel with a smirk. "Don't make me arrest you for withholding information from me!"

"For the last time, you're not a Council officer anymore," said Lucy impatiently.

"Well, I gotta tell the Shrimp something!" said Gajeel.

"And you're not giving up until you get something, are you?" asked Lucy. She sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you. You know the trope in romantic comedy where the guy asks the girl he likes how to tell a girl he likes her, only to use her advice on her?",

"Never heard of it," replied Gajeel. "But I get the gist at least." **(A/N: Seriously, what is that trope even called?)  
**  
"Well... Natsu did that to me," said Lucy. "Except I think he's going to confess in front of everyone, so I've been avoiding him all night."

"...That's what you're moaning about?" asked Gajeel. He then broke into a maniacal grin. "Gihihihihihi!"

"It's not funny, Gajeel!" yelled Lucy.

"It is to me," said Gajeel. "Let the evening play out and you'll see what I mean." With that, he walked away chuckling to himself.

Lucy watched Gajeel intently as he rejoined Levy, Jet, and Droy. She wondered what he knew about Natsu for the rest of the night, up until Natsu announced he had a song to sing for Lisanna. All eyes were on the Salamander, including her own, him and the Animal mage the center of attention. Gajeel got out his guitar, and as he played, Natsu began to sing.

 _"Every dog has his every day  
Like every bird has a bee.  
Cats throw all their nine lives away  
On squirrels climbing a tree._

 _Me, I love like an animal,_  
 _And I love you, can't you see?_  
 _Be mine, that would be wonderful,_  
 _And happy's what you will be!"_

There was silence in the guild. The only sound was Lisanna gasping as she practically overheated herself blushing. Suddenly, Cana burst out laughing. "Oh my God, that was _the_ cheesiest love song I have ever heard!" she said. After that, nearly everyone in the guild started laughing.

"Did Natsu write that himself?"

"Haha, classic Natsu!"

"I thought it was sweet."

"Ah, you're crazy!"

Gajeel started fuming. "Oi! That was a beautiful song, sung by a man in love, from the bottom of his heart...!"

"...You wrote if for him, didn't you, Gajeel?" asked Levy.

"...Maybe," said Gajeel. "But that's besides the point!"

"Natsu, if you're asking what I think you're asking..." said Lisanna. "I've been waiting for you to ask it ever since I came back." She then kissed Natsu, and everyone cheered.

Just then, Levy and her teammates approached Lucy. "See, Lu-chan? You were worried for nothing!" she said.

"Gajeel told you, didn't he?" asked Lucy.

"For how close you and Natsu are, we're the ones that grew up with him," said Droy.

"That's right!" said Jet. "If Natsu liked you instead of Lisanna, he would've just asked you the way you told him to as soon as you did. He wouldn't have tried to overshadow Lisanna's special day with something like this."

"Thanks, you guys," said Lucy softly.

Lucy watched as Natsu and Lisanna laughed with each other. She had never been deaf to the whispers of the guild, especially not after they reunited a year from the Tartaros war. During that year, she had missed Natsu deeply, of course. But she found she hadn't missed him like she would miss a lover. And watching her two friends so happy together, she didn't care that Natsu didn't see her that way.

Because as long as she could call himself her partner, that was all she wanted.

* * *

 **And there you go. Today is A for Announcement.** **It's not really a traditional announcement, but it's Natsu announcing his feelings for Lisanna, so it kinda works...? Question mark?**

I do have a list of prompts all written out, so don't bother suggesting those. Also, I'll try to incorporate Lisanna more into future prompts, but I will say, don't expect too much from the next prompt on that. Kinda hard to do when we're seeing all this from Lucy's eyes.

But anyway, happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the United States, and if you're anywhere else, have a good Thursday.


	2. B is for Bed

**Here we go, second chapter of this alphabet challenge thing. I was gonna call this chapter "Bed," but then I got an idea for "Betrayal," but it ended up being more about the bed than the betrayal, so... "Bed it is."**

 **The reason this is so late is... well, in the original, I couldn't figure out how to end it without making it seem like there was tension between Lucy and Lisanna, which the whole point of this story is to avoid. So it got a whole new plot about halfway. And you know what? I like it better. Here's hoping you all do too.**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

Lucy walked home, her every muscle aching. According to Erza, she had been neglecting her training, so she had taken her and Wendy on a training trip for the day.

Except the only one actually training was Lucy herself. All Erza did was bark orders and eat sweets. At least Wendy was there to heal anything worse than a bruise, so she had already contributed more than Erza had all day.

It was too late to take a bath, or at least it was if she wanted a good night's sleep tonight, so the only plan Lucy had was to plop into bed. Hopefully she'd have it in her to change into her pajamas tonight. As her apartment came into view, she could already feel her mattress underneath her aching body. All she had to do was open the door...

And there it was. Her glorious bed. She was so overwhelmed by the sight that she rushed towards her sanctuary, flopped down on her silken sheets...

...And land on a Dragon Slayer in nothing but his boxers whom even the apocalypse couldn't wake. "I don't believe this," Lucy muttered.

The best part of her training day was that Erza had focused solely on her physical conditioning from sunrise to sunset in the early December chill. Which meant that her keys were right where she had left them. Selecting a key, she activated her Stardress spell, changing into her Taurus form.

She then walked back to the bed, and with Taurus's strength, grabbed Natsu by the shoulder and unceremoniously flicked him to the other side of her room.

That jolted the Dragon Slayer awake. "Hmm, what...? Morning already?" he muttered. Then he got a good look at Lucy and brightened up. "Oh! Lucy! When did you get home?" he asked.

"Just now," replied Lucy as she canceled her spell. "Which means it's time for you to leave."

"Ah, come on, Lucy!" protested Natsu. "You expect me to walk home in the middle of the night? Don't forget my house is in the East Forest!"

"Oh, like you can't scare off any monsters or anything," said Lucy dismissively.

"It's dark out! I'll never find my way!" whined Natsu.

"And you're a living torch!" said Lucy. "Point is, you're not sleeping in my bed tonight, or any other night for that matter."

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Natsu. "Why not?!"

"Because you have a girlfriend now, idiot!" said Lucy.

"So?"

"So it's cheating now!"

"How is it cheating if all we're doing is sleeping?" Natsu demanded.

"It's the intimacy involved that's the problem!" said Lucy.

"What?! Is that what you're worried about?!" shouted Natsu incredulously.

"What is everybody shouting about?" asked a tired female voice from the kitchen.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. If that was who she thought it was, then her whole point about cheating was moot. Sure enough, the youngest of the Strauss siblings, not to mention the girlfriend Lucy was referring to, walked in wearing a pair of panties and one of Lucy's old T-shirts and carrying a glass of what appeared to be warm milk. "I would hope Natsu's not cheating, considering I was right in the next room," she said.

"I'm not!" said Natsu indignantly. "I was just sleeping! Ask Happy! He'll vouch for me!"

"Happy went home hours ago, sweetheart," said Lisanna.

"He did?" asked Natsu. "I just thought he was giving us some privacy!

As Lucy took in the conversation between the couple, she realized something. _"Wait a minute..."_ she thought. _"Dressed in nothing but underwear... Happy's not with them... Mentions of privacy..."_

"Oh my God!" Lucy gasped loudly. "You didn't!"

"Didn't what?" asked Natsu.

"Don't you 'didn't what' me, Etherious Natsu Dragneel!" yelled Lucy. "You think I'm gonna keep letting you sleep over after this kind of betrayal?!"

"Betrayal?!" repeated Natsu. "Lucy, what are you-?"

"Lucy, just calm down!" said a nervous Lisanna, though more out of Lucy raising her voice for once than actual fear. "How exactly did Natsu betray you?"

"You tell me! You agreed to it!" said Lucy sharply.

"What did I agree to?" asked Lisanna.

"You...!" she pointed an accusing finger at Lisanna, and then at Natsu. "And you...! You did... THAT! IN MY BED!"

"What?! No!" exclaimed Lisanna. "We wouldn't...!"

"Okay, fine!" said Natsu. "We did do the nasty! But not in your bed!"

"If not here... then where?!" demanded Lucy.

"In the shower," said Lisanna. "Natsu and Happy found a job for you guys, but you were gone, so they invited me. We both felt gross afterwards, so we came over to clean up, plus Natsu wanted to give you some of the reward for your rent. We argued over who'd go first, but we ended up saying 'screw it, let's go together," since neither of us wanted to wait. From there, it pretty much explains itself." She gave a nervous laugh, blushing as she went.

"But we didn't once consider doing anything on your bed but cuddling," said Natsu, grabbing Lucy's hands as he spoke. "Your bed's sacred, Lucy. I wouldn't fuck that up for you. I swear."

"Natsu..." Lucy was clearly touched by how much Natsu valued their friendship.

"I mean, if you get grossed out by your bed, then you'll throw it away, and then I won't have a comfy place to sleep," said Natsu.

 _"Of course that idiot's thinking of his own comfort first,"_ Lucy thought.

"I guess a bathtub is easier to bleach than a bed," she said. "Oh, and can you let go of my hands, please? The way you're holding them is kinda weird for a guy supposedly in a committed relationship."

"Ah shit!" exclaimed Natsu. "Sorry, Lisanna! I love you!"

Lisanna simply giggled. "Don't worry," she told Lucy. "He knows where the line is."

"I would hope so," said Lucy. "Now, I'm willing to give you guys the benefit of the doubt, but I feel like I should have a third party confirm. I'll ask Gajeel to come down in the morning."

"Great! He'll agree with us!" said Natsu.

"Now if all that's settled, then it's time we all went to bed," said Lisanna. She sat down, patted the bed, and said, "Come on, Lucy."

Lucy made a face. She was willing to believe they hadn't done anything improper, but the images the thought brought up still weirded her out. "I'll just sleep on the couch," she said. "G'night."

* * *

"Thanks so much for coming down so early, Gajeel!"

"What do you expect?" the Iron Dragon Slayer said gruffly. "I'll do damn near anything for a little iron." He popped a couple unused nails into his mouth for emphasis.

"You don't need to do much," said Lucy. "Just sniff my room for Natsu and Lisanna's... scents, if you will."

"Salamander and his woman?" asked Gajeel. "If they were using your bed, of course their scents'll be there.

"Not sweat, per se," Lucy clarified. "I mean like... other... bodily fluids."

"If it's not sweat, then why the hell do you need me?" Gajeel wondered. "You'd probably find some sort of stain if it was blood, piss, or even cum."

"Stain?" repeated Lucy. She put her hand to her forehead. "Of course! They'd stain the sheets! I am an idiot!"

"More like a virgin, but hey you may just be both," Gajeel muttered. "Don't expect to be reimbursed for the iron, by the way." He turned to leave, but stopped a moment to glance at Lucy's couch. "Oi," he said. "How much would you sell that couch for?"

"My couch? 10,000 Jewels, maybe 12,000," replied Lucy. "Why?"

"Really?" said Gajeel. "'Cause after what Salamander did to it, I'd pay about half that."

"What Natsu did?" said Lucy in disbelief.

"Well, ya know, those kinda stains don't show up as well on a couch as they do on bedsheets," said Gajeel coyly.

Fury built up in Lucy's body. "NATSU!" she yelled. She went into the kitchen to give the currently dining Salamander a piece of her mind.

Lily looked at Gajeel and noticed the satisfied smirk on his partner's face. "Natsu and Lisanna never did anything on that couch, did they?" he asked.

"You shut your trap! That's a damn nice couch!" said Gajeel.

"If you say so, Gajeel," said Lily.

* * *

 **That last scene doesn't add much, I just wanted to show Gajeel being a troll/trying to score a couch for cheap. Lucy wised up to his game, by the way.**

 **Like I said, I had to rewrite half the chapter because the end originally defeated the whole purpose of the story. That said, I ended up coming with the idea for a "betrayal,"which only amounts to Natsu and Lisanna doing the do in Lucy's bed, though to be fair, I'd be pissed if I found out someone did it in my bed. I probably overdid Lucy's reaction, but hey, better than Lisanna subtly threatening Lucy like the original ended up. At least I think so.**

 **I'm probably not gonna have a new chapter before Christmas, but I do have something Christmas-themed I'm working on, so if I can find motivation, I'll get that done on or before Christmas Eve. Until then, have a happy holiday.**


	3. C is for Crowd

**Hey guys! I missed my holiday deadline! Actually, I set Martin Luther King Day as the next upload date, but I completely forgot about New Year's, so... technically I missed it but also made it...? Yay?**

 **So anyway, the theme of this chapter is (and I use the term loosely) three's a crowd. Not much more to say than that, so... here we go.**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

Lucy walked into the guild with a clear purpose: find a job to pay her rent, and get it done before her landlady started to chew her out about it. To that end, she needed to find a job before Natsu did, otherwise they'd be fighting some monster and causing massive property damage in the process, which of course would mean no rent for poor Lucy.

She didn't bother asking if Natsu was here yet, having arranged for Lisanna to, shall we say, "distract" him for the morning until she could find a job that involved absolutely zero fighting, or at least had a snowball's chance in Hell of ending with them having to pay for any sort of repairs. How Lisanna got him to not go wild whenever they worked together was beyond her.

Approaching the job board, she thumbed through the available requests, murmuring to herself as she went. "Deliver a parcel to Oak Town... No... Find a lost item... That could go wrong fast... Ooh! Fabian's putting on a production of Beauty and the Beast!"

"Nah, that sounds boring," said a voice from behind her.

"It is not boring!" said Lucy passionately. "It's one of the all-time greatest love stories, an enduring classic! Just because you-!" She froze when she realized it was Natsu she was talking to. "Kyaaah!"

"Ah! What?!" exclaimed Natsu. "Is there something on my face?!"

"No!" said a shocked Lucy. "Weren't you supposed to be spending the morning with Lisanna?!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," said Lisanna. "Happy flew in, and he ended up distracting Natsu from my distraction, and..."

"Happy," Lucy muttered under her breath. "Of course that damn cat would ruin everything."

"Eh?! What did I do?!" asked Happy indignantly.

"Whatever," said Natsu. "Let's just grab a job and head out." He grabbed a random job from the board and looked at it. "Aw, sweet!" he cheered. "Bodyguard job!"

"Absolutely not!" said Lucy. "I am not sacrificing another month's worth of rent for you to destroy everything!"

"It can't be that bad," said Lisanna. "Generally, bodyguard jobs are mostly status symbols for wealthy nobles."

"Aye," said Happy. "You should know all about that, Lucy."

"And when they aren't, you get to smack down a few strong guys!" said Natsu. "You win either way!"

Lucy sighed. There was no way Natsu would agree to anything else now. "All right, fine," she said. "Let's look at the job." She took the job Natsu grabbed and skimmed it over, only to come away with a blush. "We can't do this job, Natsu," she said.

"Whaaat?! Why not?" Natsu complained.

"The flyer says "couples only," explained Lucy.

"So what?" said Natsu.

"So A: we're not a couple, and B: you're dating Lisanna, so we can't even pretend!"

"I don't mind," said Lisanna. "I mean, it's just for one job, and I trust you guys not to take it too far."

"I mind!" said Lucy. "It's the principle of the thing! I'm not stealing another girl's boyfriend, even on a temporary basis!"

"Hang on!" said Natsu. "What if Lisanna and I act as the couple for the job, and Lucy joins us as our maid?"

"What?!" exclaimed Lucy. "No! Just once can you not give me the short end of the stick?"

"I ain't giving you anything like that, though!" said Natsu.

"Actually, you kind of are," said Lisanna.

"No, 'cause if she's the maid, she can just show up in her Virgo form!" explained Natsu. "Then she'll be ready to go if it comes to a fight!"

"Hey, yeah, I hadn't thought of that," said Lucy. "I just wish you had explained it that way to start with."

"Then that's the plan!" said Natsu. "Oi, Mira! We're taking this job!"

Lisanna had one more question. "How long can you maintain Virgo in Stardress mode?"

Lucy balked at the question. Neither she nor Natsu had considered that. "We'll just have to see, won't we?" she said with a smile.

 _"Natsu, you jerk..."_

* * *

The job finished early, mostly because the client had made several perverted remarks at Lucy's expense, and it ultimately reached a breaking point. Lisanna was seething, Natsu made his rage known in between bouts of motion sickness, Happy had a serious look on his face, and Lucy was busy worrying she would make everything worse.

"Lisanna..." she said gently. "It's okay. Really."

"No it's not!" said Lisanna sharply.

"Really," said Lucy. "I've dealt with enough perverts to know that they're not worth the effort."

"I know," said Lisanna. "But you just don't tell a woman to her face that her breasts aren't real! And belittling service people on top of that!"

"That doesn't mean you should gorilla punch the creep!" said Lucy. "Especially when he's the client!" In reality, the Celestial mage was relieved she wouldn't have to be working for that slimebucket. But having to go back to Fairy Tail and explain Lisanna punching out their perv of a client... not so much.

"Yeah. Sorry," huffed Lisanna. "It was pretty cathartic, though."

"How so?" asked Lucy.

"I heard at least five comments about Mira-nee's breasts a day when we were waiting tables for a year," said Lisanna. "I just didn't want you to put up with that kind of crap."

"As long as I have these," said Lucy, gesturing to her breasts. "I'll pretty much have to. Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind, right?"

"He still deserved it," pouted Lisanna.

"Hey, how come you never said anything, Natsu?" asked Happy.

"About... what?" Natsu wheezed.

"You've felt Lucy's boobs before," said Happy. "You know what they feel like!"

"I have...?"

"...When did this happen?" asked Lisanna with a glare.

"The dragon invasion at the Grand Magic Games!" said Happy. "Remember? Zirconis burnt Lucy's clothes off, and she was naked, and you grabbed her boobs, and she yelled at you..."

"I was covering them up!" shouted Natsu. "She was freaking out over it and I didn't have anything else to give her, so I did what made sense at the time!" When he finished speaking, he put his hand to his mouth to try and stifle the motion sickness a little.

"It's not like I asked the idiot to do that," said Lucy.

"I believe you," said Lisanna. "You still don't understand Natsu's logic like I do."

"Honestly, I hope I never do," said Lucy.

"So what are you gonna do for rent?" asked Happy.

"I dunno," said Lucy. "I guess we'll go kill a monster or something."

"Yay!" cheered Happy and Natsu.

Lucy smiled, despite knowing how the new job was likely to end. She'd heard three was a crowd, but Natsu, and now Lisanna, knew exactly how to make her feel like she belonged.

* * *

 **And there you go!**

 **I wanted to show that Lisanna could be protective of Lucy just as much so as Natsu, especially when she has to deal with perverts. The ultimate goal was (and is) to illustrate just how important Lucy is to the couple that are her friends. Hopefully I drove that point home, and if not, I have 23 more chances to do it, and as we all know, 23 is No. 1.**

 **So that's it, all. 'Til next time, I guess.**


	4. D is for Drink

**Yeah, it's still early enough to post this. Also, I referenced them celebrating a holiday a whole month before said holiday. Imagine that! Though if you want to get technical, tomorrow's Martin Luther King Day, so I technically still continued the tradition of posting on a holiday. How the fuck do I keep doing that?  
**

 **Anyway! Fairies getting drunk! Except I cut ahead to the next morning because, I dunno, if I'm gonna write that kind of chaos, I'd rather it be its own story. Plus it's funnier if I keep it vague. That's how comedy works, right? Yes? No? Probably no. Either way, if this chapter gets ten NON-ANONYMOUS reviews by February 29, I'll write an extra chapter all about the drunkenness. Until then, enjoy what you have.**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

Somehow or another, Lucy's apartment found itself host to another party, this time a Valentine's Day party. The guests included Natsu, Lisanna, Gray, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Pantherlily, Erza, Mirajane, Cana, and Lucy herself, of course. Though if she was being honest, being single should disqualify her from having Valentine's parties at her house in the first place, especially when all she wanted was to have a glass of red wine and a bath and go to bed early because she had a job to wake up for.

But no, Natsu had insisted on having everybody over for a good time. And a good time people were having, until Cana broke out a card full of alcohol. "As the pirates like to say, drink up, me hearties!" she announced.

"Oh no! Oh hell to the FUCK NO!" said Gajeel angrily. "If Titania over here gets hold of booze, we're just gonna have full-frontal nudity all around like last time!"

"I don't see why Gajeel's complaining," said Erza. "I had quite a good time last time."

"YOU WERE THE ONE MAKING EVERYONE STRIP!" yelled Gray.

"Speaking of stripping, Gray..." said Mira.

Gray looked down to see he was naked. "Ah! Dammit!" he exclaimed. "When did that happen?!"

"Probably when you were picking that fight with Natsu," said Levy.

"So you're blaming me just 'cause that Ice Pervert can't keep it in his pants?!" demanded Natsu angrily.

"You know that's not what Levy meant," said Lisanna, trying to be the voice of reason.

"And in front of Wendy, too!" said Carla. "How shameful!"

"It's fine, Carla," said Wendy. "I'm used to it by now. Remember, Lyon-san has the same stripping habit as Gray-san, and we survived that for a year."

"I suppose so..." said Carla.

"Juvia has no problem with Gray-sama's stripping!" said Juvia. "Lyon-sama's... not so much."

"Well, what does Lyon have that Gray doesn't?" asked Lily.

"A sense of restraint?" Happy supplied.

"I would have said a larger endowment," said Erza. "But that works too."

"...I hate your face," Gray muttered.

"I only speak from..." She suddenly caught Mira's smirk. "No!" she exclaimed. "No! Forget I said anything!"

"I won't let you!" sang Mira.

"Haha! This is a riot!" cheered Cana. "Oh, I love it!"

"More importantly!" said Erza, trying to redirect the conversation from her almost-poor word choice. "In an attempt to regulate everybody's alcohol consumption for the night, we shall play Guild Master's Brew!"

"Guild Master's Brew?" everyone repeated.

"Yes." Erza held out a bowl of 14 Popsicle sticks. Most of them had a number ranging from 1 to 13, with the last one bearing Fairy Tail's mark. "We each draw a lot. From there, whoever becomes the Master will declare a number. Whoever draws that number will be forced to drink. When you finish your drink, you're out."

"Sounds like fun," said Natsu. "Alright! Count me in!"

"Aye! Me too!"

"This has 'biggest clusterfuck of the century' written all over it," said Gajeel.

"You may be onto something, Gajeel," said Erza. "Fine. We'll draw once, and whoever gets the Master's lot will sit out the game."

"I don't envy the guy that has to babysit 13 drunk Fairies," said Gray.

"Well now that you say that, it's probably gonna be you," said Lucy.

They all drew lots, and by the power of Lucy's incredible luck, she drew the Master's lot. "Noooo!" she wailed.

Her night just got a hell lot more chaotic than it already had been.

* * *

She should have kicked everyone out right then and there.

She should have had zero tolerance for thirteen sober Fairy Tail mages, never mind thirteen drunken ones.

Juvia cried into Gray's shoulder over every little thing. Gray kept making threats to get her to stop, which only made the crying worse. Gajeel tried to sing opera, which Levy found absolutely hilarious, just like everything else that went on. Carla barked orders at Happy, or at least tried to. Meanwhile the blue Exceed had been in the middle of an anti-human rant that nobody seemed to have paid attention to, except for Lucy, because she was the one forced to play nanny to these clowns!

While all that was going on, Erza and Mira had been making out and groping each other, each in an attempt to make the other cry for mercy as Lily and Cana kept chanting "Go! Go! Go! Go!" at them, paying no mind to the unconscious Wendy. All the while, Lisanna had danced provocatively for Natsu, which wouldn't have been that bad except for her trying to include Lucy in the act. Thank God Natsu was somehow sober enough to keep them apart!

Eventually, it got so bad that Lucy went into her Aries form and covered the whole apartment in the strongest damn wool she could muster, knocking everyone out cold until the morning. Now, Loke and Capricorn were directing everyone out of the apartment, though Lisanna had hung back for some reason.

"Hey, Lucy... can we talk?"

"Sure, Lisanna," said Lucy. "What's up?"

"Eheh... I'm sorry for how I acted last night," said Lisanna lowly.

"Oh, that? It's fine," said Lucy brightly. "Everyone was acting crazy last night. I mean, you heard Happy's rant, right?"

"Even so, it was inexcusable for me to involve you!" said Lisanna. She played with her hands as she tried to find the right words. "Do you remember the promise we made? You know, when I came back from Edolas?"

"Of course!" said Lucy. "We would leave it up to Natsu. And he chose you! So what's the problem?"

"Well... you're going to think this is stupid," said Lisanna. "But ever since we got together, I felt like I was.. stealing Natsu from you."

Lucy gasped. "Lisanna Strauss, don't you ever think that way about me and Natsu again!" she said sternly. "I've known how much you meant to Natsu since before you ever came back! You know no one ever even thought to mention you to him?! That's because, two years later, your death still hurt him in a way Erza beating him up never could! I mean, yes, I've thought about it before you came back! But then I thought about me and Loke before he became my Spirit! I backed off once you came back, and I've waited eight years for him to swallow his damn pride and make you his, give or take Tenrou Island!"

She took a deep breath before continuing. "If that was how you felt all this time, then last night should have been cathartic for you!"

"I guess it should've," agreed Lisanna. "I guess in my drunken mind, I was doing you a favor by sharing Natsu with you for the night, and I just wanted him to get excited about it."

Lucy sighed. "We really are cut from the same cloth, aren't we?" she mused. "We both try to make our loved ones happy without a care to how we feel. Even after learning to grab my own happiness by cutting ties with my father, I still rooted for you to end up with Natsu. I guess the difference is, you deserve it."

"Thanks, Lucy," said Lisanna softly. "Hey... can I ask you something?"

"Anything," replied Lucy.

"If I ever try to drink again, can you punch me in the face?"

"We'll see," said Lucy. "I kinda wanted to punch everyone last night."

Both girls had a good laugh at that.

* * *

 **You know, I have a really odd tendency to go from funny to serious in nothing flat. I have a gag in my head, I write it out, and I start to think it through as I type, and it ends up a lot more serious than I ever wanted it to be. I think about this shit way too much...**

 **Also, for the record, Lisanna didn't harass Lucy beyond whispering lewd ideas about her and Lucy and what they could do to Natsu together. Lucy was of course mortified by it all, but she realized Lisanna obviously wouldn't say those things sober and resolved to talk about it the next time they were alone. She just didn't think it would be before she kicked Lisanna out. I hope I didn't imply Lisanna to be some sort of weird rapist or anything.**

 **Remember, ten non-anonymous reviews gets you guys a side chapter in which the drunken madness unfolds. Until then, I'm going to upload this and go out for dinner.**


	5. E is for Evil

**The holiday trend continues! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Have a friendly reminder that Lucy fails at romance, Lisanna fails at matchmaking, and Natsu fails at timing his potty breaks! That last one was mostly for comic relief, but enjoy it nevertheless!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does. I own Mag-No-Mart, the convenience store mentioned in this chapter.**

* * *

At this point, Lucy was certain Lisanna Strauss was the most wicked, amoral, and utterly evil woman to walk the planet Earth. Her evening had been an absolute _hell_ in every sense of the word, to the point where she was willing to commit murder to escape from it! And it was all because of _her,_ the youngest of Fairy Tail's three Take Over mages!

Okay, so maybe that was an extreme reaction to a blind date. But Lisanna was the one who had set it up for her, and she didn't know if she'd ever forgive the Animal mage, even if she was her best friend's girlfriend.

Fortunately, Lisanna had been helping Mira clean up the guild for a Sorcerer Weekly story, so Natsu and Happy were the only ones at her house that night. "Rough night, Lucy?" asked Natsu.

"Gee, whatever gave _that_ away?" asked Lucy, her voice oozing venomous sarcasm that would make Cobra proud.

Natsu flinched, but he still had a duty as Lucy's best friend. "Okay, what happened?" he asked.

"What happened? What HAPPENED?! Your girlfriend is THE single most vile and evilest creature on the planet, THAT'S what happened!" said Lucy furiously.

"Hey! It can't be that bad!" said Natsu, caught between wanting to defend Lisanna and pacify Lucy. After all, Lucy was up there with Erza and Mira when she was angry. Well, maybe not Mira. Mira's fury was far more subtle.

"I think Lisanna said something about having set up Lucy on a date," said Happy.

"Huh. So it went bad, and now you're blaming Lisanna because she set it up," Natsu deduced.

Lucy gave an irritated sigh. "More or less," she said. "I'm gonna take a bath."

"Ooh, cooldown bath," said Natsu. "Count us in."

"Excuse me, but did you forget you are in a _committed relationship?_ " said Lucy angrily.

"Yeah, Natsu, you playboy," said Happy teasingly.

"Aw, but we bathe together all the time with Erza and the others!" protested Natsu.

"Yes, but Erza and the others aren't here, and neither is Lisanna!" said Lucy. "Look, I won't kick you out, but because I don't trust you not to perv in on me..." She pulled out a key. "Open, the Gate of the Goat... Capricorn!"

In a flash of light, Capricorn appeared in front of Lucy. "Is there something you need, Lucy-sama?" the goat spirit asked.

"Yes, Capricorn," replied Lucy. "I'll be taking a long bath before bed, but I see no reason to kick Natsu and Happy out. So could I ask you to see that they don't leave the living room until I'm ready for bed?"

"Of course," said Capricorn. "Go and enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Capricorn," said Lucy. "Also, I don't expect Lisanna to come over tonight, but if she does, feel free to go back to the Celestial Spirit World."

Capricorn nodded, and Lucy began to gather things for her bath.

As the water started to run, it began to affect Natsu. "Hey Lucy, can I take a leak before you get in?"

"Too late!" yelled Lucy.

"Cm'on, I'll be quick!" said Natsu as he made his way toward the bathroom. "In and- ACK!"

At that moment, Capricorn's knee connected with the Dragon Slayer's stomach, knocking him into the wall.

"Okay... I can wait..." said Natsu weakly.

"Please do," said Capricorn gruffly.

* * *

About an hour later, Lucy's skin started to prune, signaling that it was time to head out. She was feeling much better about the night's date, though still rather salty towards Lisanna. She dried herself off, put on the cute pajamas Levy had given her for Christmas. and stepped out of the bathroom. Natsu and Lisanna were on the couch together, Happy was asleep between them, and Capricorn stood next to it. Judging from his serious demeanor, he didn't seem to trust the two alone together.

"Hello, Lisanna," said Lucy curtly. She would have called her a biting name, but she couldn't think of anything, nor was it remotely worth the effort. She noticed Natsu was holding a bag of chips. "Where did you get those?" she asked him.

"I couldn't wait, so Happy and I flew to the Mag-No-Mart so I could pee," said Natsu. "But they don't let you go unless you buy something, so I did."

"You don't even like that flavor," Lucy pointed out.

"It was all they had for how much I was willing to pay," said Natsu. He popped a chip into his mouth and made a face. "God, these are nasty."

"Is this what they call biting the bullet?" said Lisanna.

"Ah hah hah hah," Lucy laughed sarcastically.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked a worried-looking Lisanna.

"Well, you set me up on the worst date of my life," said Lucy. "But I'm mostly over it now. _Mostly._ "

"Oh no!" gasped Lisanna. Was it really that bad?"

"He was a pig!" said Lucy. "Bad table manners, demeaning towards my spirits, and he blew his cigarette smoke in the waiter's face for getting his side wrong!"

"Lucy, I'm so sorry!" said Lisanna. "It's just that I recognized him from Edolas, I remembered him as being a perfect gentleman, and I knew he would be different here in Earthland, but I didn't think it was that bad!"

Lucy sighed. It was obvious Lisanna felt terrible for what happened. "It's not your fault," she said. She leaned over to hug the Animal mage.

"I would advise you to learn from this, Lucy-sama," said Capricorn. "Never assume malice when a lack of information is applicable."

"You thought I was out to get you?!" Lisanna gasped.

"Of course not!" said Lucy quickly. "I just wanted to blame somebody! I'm sorry I even thought of it"

"Well, it's no one's fault the guy was an asshole, right?" said Natsu.

"That's right," agreed Capricorn.

"He's definitely getting a gorilla punch next time I see him," said Lisanna.

"Well, that's just enough to make me feel better," said Lucy.

She went to bed feeling stupid for thinking Lisanna was anything close to evil.

* * *

 **Meh. I probably could've ended this a lot better, but I wanted to keep the holiday trend going. Which means I need to finish the next chapter before tomorrow, which is Presidents' Day...**

 **Screw it, I'll wait until Washington's Birthday. Give you all a chance to digest this chapter.**


	6. F is for Family

**Hey guys, ready for Throwback Thursday? Except it's Monday! But this is taking place after Lucy learns about her father and before Fairy Tail finds out about the Grand Magic Games. So yeah, I got the "throwback" part right. Enjoy it, fools!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

"A family photo?"

"That's right," Lisanna told Natsu. "After everything that's happened since I came back from Edolas, I thought it was important that you, Happy, and I take a family photo to mark my return."

"Really," said Natsu with a blush. "Cool. Do I have to get dressed up or anything like that?"

"Just a dress shirt and pants," said Lisanna.

"And shoes," Happy pointed out. "I don't think your sandals will cut it if that's the dress code."

"Aw, man!" groaned Natsu. "I ain't got any of that crap! I might as well just do it naked!"

"Well, then you'll have fallen to Gray's level," said Lisanna. "You don't want that, do you?"

"Hell no!" said Natsu. "I need clothes and bad! Hey, Lucy! Call Virgo! I need something nice to wear!"

"Wait, what? ACK!"

In one swift motion, Natsu grabbed Lucy by the arm, dragging her out of the guild. "Natsu, waaaaaaait!" the Celestial mage wailed.

* * *

Once they were at Lucy's apartment, Virgo started going in and out of the Celestial Spirit World, bringing clothes she thought would look good on Natsu for his photo. Unfortunately, Natsu rejected every outfit she brought.

"No! No black!" yelled Natsu, rejecting a black suit jacket

"But black is among the most formal colors," said Virgo.

"I ain't going to a funeral, dammit!" said Natsu. "I'm taking a family photo!"

"You wear black every day," Virgo argued.

"Yeah, a casual black!" Natsu rebutted. "What do you think, Lucy? Should I try a warmer color?"

"Sure," said Lucy disinterestedly. "Whatever."

Natsu frowned. "Geez, what's with you today, Luce?" he asked. "You're usually all over this fashion crap!"

"It's nothing," said Lucy. "Just stupid stuff."

"Doesn't sound like stupid stuff to me," said Natsu. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

Virgo saw this as her cue to step out, so she disappeared back through her gate to give Lucy and Natsu some privacy.

Lucy sighed. "It's just... In light of my father's passing, I'm feeling kind of affected by the idea of you and Happy taking a family photo with Lisanna."

"So that's it," mumbled Natsu.

"Lucy... Are you jealous of Lisanna?" asked Happy.

"No!" said Lucy quickly. "Not of her, anyway..."

"Then what is it?" asked Natsu.

"It's just... you three have been a family ever since Happy was born, and even after two years of Lisanna being gone, you still have that family dynamic like she never even left. I haven't had that for seven years, not since my mother died. And before we got trapped on Tenrou Island, I was just starting to build bridges with my father, and he died months before we got unfrozen... and I never got to say goodbye, or let him know I still loved him in spite of all his shit...!"

Natsu flinched. Lucy never swore! She clearly had strong feelings on the matter. Not that he'd know, since he knew Igneel was still out there somewhere, and he'd accepted that he was waiting for the right time, especially if he and the other Dragon Slayers would have to face Acnologia one day.

Lucy sniffled. "Sorry," she said. "I'm still getting used to being an orphan."

"It's cool," said Natsu.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though we both have the guild, you, Happy, and Lisanna have a family in and unto yourselves, and it's just now sinking in that I don't have that anymore."

At that point, Virgo came back, holding a burgundy dress shirt and ash gray slacks. "Master Natsu, I took your suggestion to heart," said Virgo. "I decided on this shade for the shirt, since it was warm and yet still formal."

"That's perfect!" said Natsu.

"You still need shoes," Happy pointed out.

"Shut up about the shoes!" said Natsu. "I'm aware of this!"

Lucy smiled. Watching Natsu always had that effect on her.

"Hey Virgo," said Natsu. "We should probably find something for Lisanna to wear."

"Lisanna can pick out her own clothes, Natsu," said Lucy.

"No way! Celestial clothes are _way_ nicer!" said Natsu. "Virgo, if Natsu's happy, you can go back now."

"I do have a couple of dresses in mind," said Virgo. She disappeared and returned with two dresses: a green dress with gold trim, and a similar gold one with silver trim. "Which do you think would look best on her?"

"Meh. I'll let her pick," said Natsu. "If she doesn't like 'em, oh well."

"Understood. I'll be taking my leave now," said Virgo. With that, she disappeared back into her own world.

* * *

The day of the photo had arrived. No Natsu meant that Lucy could finally put a dent in the rent she owed. Even though her landlady had waived the rent she owed due to being trapped on Tenrou Island, she still didn't feel right paying back at least some of it. So she figured she could team up with Erza and Wendy for a girls' mission. And if she could talk Erza into a low S-Class job, so much the better.

Suddenly, Happy came flying through her window. "Lucy! You gotta help us!" he wailed.

"Happy!" exclaimed Lucy. "What's wrong? Where's Natsu?!"

"Some guys from Twilight Ogre beat him, and they're busy harassing Lisanna!" said Happy. "They ambushed the photography studio and are demanding money from the owner!"

Lucy gulped. If Natsu couldn't take these Twilight Ogre guys down, what chance did Happy think she would have? Still, these were Lucy's friends, and she had to defend them! "Take me there!" she demanded.

"Aye!" agreed Happy as he grabbed her back and flew away.

But when they got to the studio, all they saw was Natsu and Lisanna standing outside, almost as if they were waiting. "I'm here!" said Lucy. "Where's Twilight Ogre?!"

Suddenly, Natsu broke out into a big grin. "Nowhere around here, that's for sure!" he said proudly.

It was then that Lucy noticed Lisanna was wearing the gold dress Virgo had showed Natsu, and was holding the green dress, all folded up, in front of her. "Put it on," she said.

"I don't understand..." said Lucy.

"Natsu said you were feeling down about your father's death, so he asked if it was okay that you took the photo with us," said Natsu.

"W-w-what?" Lucy gasped.

"Of course!" said Natsu. "After all, you're just as much mine and Happy's family as Lisanna. Why shouldn't we show it?"

Lucy was at a loss for words. Tears started welling up in her eyes. "I love you guys!" she said, hugging her two friends close together.

"Love you too, Lucy," Natsu choked out.

"Can't... breathe...!" said Lisanna.

The photo had the girls standing on either side of Natsu, with Happy resting in his arms. Looking back on the photo almost two years to the day, Lucy could still hardly believe she was part of the family that Natsu and Lisanna shared.

She hoped it would be that way forever.

* * *

 **And there you go!**

 **I mean, Lucy pretty much became Happy's stepmom anyway. Why should Natsu being with Lisanna change that?**

 **I already have the next chapter in mind, but I'm not gonna wait until St. Patrick's Day to post it. That holiday schedule will make this fic go on for two years at this rate. Either way, see you next time!**


	7. G is for Gold

**So I missed Leap Day. Big deal. But you know what? I'll be gone all day Easter, so while I'm working on that, hopefully I'll be able to update twice that day. Anyway, enjoy what I've got now.**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

* * *

Lucy tended to appreciate the quiet days in Fairy Tail - or more accurately, the quieter days.

There was still the odd fight, though nowhere near the full-on brawl the guild had become famous for. Probably because Natsu was helping Lucy and Happy watch Asuka while Bisca and Alzack went on a quick job. Mirajane had also felt the now rare itch for a job, so she, Elfman, and Lisanna were gone as well for the week.

Asuka was going on about a new friend she had made, a little girl from her neighborhood. Apparently, her name was Milly, and they had played together while Bisca helped her mother on a job. "And Milly-chan really wants to be a mage too, just like Mama and Papa!" said Asuka. "And someday we're gonna be mages together and we're gonna be a strong team like you and Natsu!"

Natsu laughed heartily at this. "That's what I wanna hear!" he said. "Go big or don't go at all! That's the Fairy Tail way, after all!"

"Yeah!" cheered Asuka.

"I'm just happy you're making new friends," said Lucy. "But you know what they say about new friends, right?"

"What do they say?" asked Asuka curiously.

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, one is gold," Lucy recited.

"I don't have to worry about that!" said Asuka. "Fairy Tail isn't my friends."

"What the hell does _that_ mean?!" asked Natsu angrily.

"They're not my friends because they're my family!" said Asuka proudly.

"Oh, Asuka! That's so sweet!" said Lucy happily.

"...I knew that..." said Natsu lamely.

"Suuure you did," said Happy teasingly.

"Don't even try to save face on this one," said Lucy.

Suddenly, Asuka turned around to face Natsu. "Natsu! Between Lucy and Lisanna, who's the silver and who's the gold?"

"Now Asuka, there are certain questions you don't ask," Lucy scolded.

"Easy," said Natsu. "Lucy's the gold, Lisanna's the silver."

Lucy gasped. How could he even _say_ something like that?! "I have to go... uh, run some errands," said Lucy.

"Ooh! Can we come?" asked Natsu.

"NO!" barked Lucy before storming off.

Natsu stared after her for a moment. "What was that about?" he asked.

* * *

Lucy stormed home, furious at Natsu's comment about her and Lisanna. She felt guilty for abandoning Asuka, but as much of an idiot as her best friend was, she knew he could be trusted with children. He would make a great father someday.

But before that, he was currently a terrible boyfriend. Somehow, Natsu had got it into his head that she was more valuable to him than Lisanna, his significant other! What did that even mean? Was he thinking of straying from Lisanna?

Oh God!

What if she was the other woman?!

She made it home, opened the door, and was greeted by Erza rummaging through her desk drawer. "Erza, what are you doing?!" she yelled.

"Oh, Lucy. Forgive me, I hadn't expected you home so soon," said Erza.

Something was off about Erza's voice. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Oh, so it is noticeable," said Erza. "I've been feeling a little congested lately. I hardly ever get sick, so I was hoping you would have some medicine for it. You are rather frail, after all."

"...I'll see what I have in my medicine cabinet," said Lucy indignantly, not even bothering to refute Erza's claim.

She came and went, with Erza even having the foresight to grab a glass of water. "This is the only cold stuff I have," said Lucy, handing a tiny pill to Erza. The knight popped the pill and drank her water with it.

"You seem upset about something," said Erza.

"Yeah," agreed Lucy. "It's Natsu."

"What about him?" asked Erza.

"I think he's going to leave Lisanna," said Lucy.

Erza gasped. "He wouldn't!" she said.

"And the worst part is, I think he wants me to replace her!" said Lucy. "I mean, I don't want to be the other woman, Erza!"

"Calm down," said Erza. "Natsu has always been the most loyal person I know. This may well be a misunderstanding. Now tell me everything that led to this conclusion."

So Lucy did. She told Erza about Asuka's new friend, about the expression she used, and Natsu's response to Asuka's question.

"'Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, one is gold?'" Erza recited. "I can't honestly say I've heard the phrase."

"Really?" said Lucy in surprise.

"Yes. I'd be surprised if Natsu had ever heard it," said Erza. "Perhaps he was referring to the colors of your hair?"

"Our hair?" repeated Lucy incredulously. "Natsu's not that stupid!"

"Well, you won't know unless you confront him head-on about it," said Erza.

"I guess I'll have to," said Lucy. "Lisanna's gone, so he and Happy are bound to spend the night. I'll figure it out then."

* * *

As Lucy predicted, Natsu and Happy did indeed come over. "Yo, Lucy!" he said happily.

"Don't give me 'Yo, Lucy,' you colossal jerk!" said Lucy, furious at how casual Natsu was about all this.

"What did I do this time?!" complained Natsu.

"Remember when I explained that saying to Asuka-chan?" asked Lucy.

"I think so," said Natsu.

"Well, what was that answer you gave Asuka-chan earlier?!" Lucy demanded. "Something about me being the gold to Lisanna's silver?"

"Yeah," replied Natsu. "So?"

"SO?!" bellowed Lucy.

"Lucy's being scary again!" said Happy fearfully.

"Are you seriously _that_ bored with Lisanna that you just don't care about her anymore?!" demanded Lucy.

"What?!" exclaimed Natsu. "No way! Being with Lisanna's awesome!"

"Then why would you call Lisanna silver and me gold?!" asked Lucy.

"Because you have gold hair and Lisanna has silver!" said Natsu. "And they're both super pretty, by the way!"

"...So Erza was right after all..." said Lucy softly.

"I don't know what that phrase is even supposed to mean," said Natsu. "I just know it's crap because all my friends are gold as far as I'm concerned!"

"Even Lisanna?" said Lucy.

"Especially Lisanna!" said Natsu. "Silver hair and all! Why would I ever _not_ care about her?!"

"I... thought... never mind," said Lucy. "It's stupid..."

"Geez, you're weird," said Natsu.

"You're gold to me too, Natsu," said Lucy.

"Thanks, Lucy," said Natsu. "Now what's for eating?"

* * *

 **Once again, it turned into a clusterfuck at the end. Basically, Natsu doesn't put much stock into a saying like that (too lazy to type it out again), because he's the type to do anything for his friends. That's all.**

 **So Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!**


End file.
